Photographer captures beauty of the 'Bridge of Eyes'

To call this bridge eye-opening would be doing its description a real justice. Named for the city in which it's located – Be'er Sheva in central Israel – the 690-foot-long bridge's double helix design gives it the appearance of having two large eyes.

The bridge's length is supported by just three anchors, made possible by the double-helix design. (Photo: Lior Teitler)

Designed by Tel Aviv firm Bar Orian Architects, the structure is composed of more than 200 different steel-beam cross sections that support the four intersecting arches that create the two eye-shaped forms.

The bridge is accessible by stairs, elevator and escalator and is meant for foot traffic and bikes. (Photo: Lior Teitler)

Bar Orian Architects won a bid for the bridge in 2011 and built it with the help of Rokach Ashkenazi Engineers. It officially opened this year.

The open design of the bridge is meant to provide a constant visual connection to the surrounding city. (Photo: Lior Teitler)

The bridge is devoid of cladding, allowing its open sides to let air flow naturally through the structure. The design is also meant to unite the interior with its surroundings rather than cut it off with an enclosure.

The bridge provides a vital link to the city's technology park, formerly cut off by train tracks. (Photo: Lior Teitler)

Architecture photographer Lior Teitler originally snapped the images in this article for Israeli design firm Knekash, which used bamboo provided by Netherlands-based firm MOSO for the flooring and ceiling.

"When approaching it for the first time, one is
dwarfed by its sheer size," Teitler told From The Grapevine of his reaction to seeing the bridge for the first time.

"You can't avoid the large ceiling that spans the whole length of the bridge and extends out towards the sky. Two large beams that support the ceiling are placed at an angle towards you when you
approach it that demand respect and create a great sense of
presence!"

Photographer Lior Teitler said he was awed by the sheer size of what is essentially a footbridge. (Photo: Lior Teitler)

Built to link the city's high-tech industrial zone to a nearby carpark, which until the construction of the bridge had been cut off, it has solved a minor problem in spectacular fashion. Or as Teitler put it, "It's as beautiful as an urban monument but serves an important purpose."

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Zach Pontz
is a writer and photographer for From The Grapevine. In his spare time he likes to wander random cities.